Chapter 16: Ning Peach Blossom, the Scapegoat Expert

Ning Peach Blossom was starting to panic. Though she hadn’t truly offended the other party, she felt as if she’d boarded the carriage before buying her ticket.

“If I hadn’t plotted and schemed in advance, I wouldn’t have chosen this tribe in the end. No matter how unremarkable it seems, its totem is hardly weak.”

Speaking of which, if Ye Chen hadn’t relied on Ning Peach Blossom’s strength as his backup, could he really have slain that spirit bamboo? That was uncertain.

“I forcibly remained in this dream, and tallying it up, it seems I’ve offended everyone.”

Ning Peach Blossom was dazed. If she acted first and killed someone to avoid future regret, it wouldn’t work; she still needed Ye Chen to find a way to obscure fate and strive to change her predestined demise.

“But as things stand, it’s as if I’m the one taking the brunt of the disaster, shouldering the blame.”

Her mood turned somber; something was amiss.

If it were merely a matter of lifting a finger, she wouldn’t be so troubled. The key was that when the thunderbolts struck, the entire peach grove suffered greatly—Ning Peach Blossom was nearly furious enough to cough blood.

The peach grove had been ingeniously constructed; the peach trees could connect and fuse their power, manifesting a mirage dragon to withstand heavenly wrath, buying her more time.

Otherwise, she would have perished long ago. After all, considering her cultivation, she was already an old maiden, due for burial.

“Why won’t the thunder and lightning stop? It shouldn’t be aimed at me; there’s always a cause and effect. My retribution isn’t due at this point. Is heaven blind? Can’t it be more accurate?”

She kept muttering inwardly—not that she was truly becoming loquacious, but her resentment was deep and unrelenting, weighing heavily on her heart.

“This step forward truly feels different.”

Ye Chen was delighted, sensing an incredible power circulating through him.

Within his mind palace, the talisman had finally reached perfection, thumb-sized and radiating brilliant golden light. It had become the source of his strength, brimming with extraordinary energy.

“I wonder what level my power has reached now.”

Without a reference, his confidence was shaky. He glanced sidelong at Ning Peach Blossom.

“You seem very different now.”

Ning Peach Blossom clicked her tongue in surprise, gazing at Ye Chen as if he were some rare curiosity, her eyes filled with wonder.

—

“You’re already attracting tribulation lightning? Looks like our time is running out.”

Ye Chen’s mood had been soaring, but now he dared not be complacent. He only watched from afar as lightning filled the sky, golden bolts piercing the vast sea of mist, chilling him to the bone.

It was terrifying—where the thunder passed, all things were reduced to dust.

Many thoughts flashed through Ye Chen’s mind. Ning Peach Blossom seemed adept at inviting calamity; those thick bolts of lightning, should they touch him, would kill him with frightening ease.

“If I get a chance, I should distance myself from Ning Peach Blossom as much as possible.”

He still didn’t know the thunder was his own doing. He just felt that his thin arms and legs tangled up with hers was courting death.

“Now that I’ve broken through and become a deity, can I expel Ning Peach Blossom from the virtual realm?”

He’d grown bold, but the thought only flickered briefly.

“It’s not safe. If things turn hostile, the risk is too great. I don’t know enough about her yet.”

He steadied his nerves, while Ning Peach Blossom was nearly beside herself with rage.

“You’ve got some nerve, saying that! That thunder is your doing.”

Ye Chen was dumbstruck—was she really so shameless, dumping such a huge blame on him? It made no sense.

“If I had that kind of power, would I still be stuck in a minor tribe?”

He was wary of her, but that didn’t mean he’d accept everything she said.

“Don’t doubt it.”

Ning Peach Blossom snorted coldly. “You’ve dug me into a pit. You opened a new path, and its influence is profound. Heaven won’t let you off so easily.”

She grew slightly gleeful. “Don’t think you’ve gotten away this time—unless you die, tribulations will be your eternal companion.”

Ye Chen was puzzled and skeptical, but her words sounded so firm, they didn’t seem false.

“That’s far too harsh.”

—

Ye Chen pondered, then spoke in a low voice, “The new path I walk is to shepherd the world on behalf of Heaven, not to seek ascension, but to coexist with all. Being targeted like this feels unreasonable.”

Ning Peach Blossom sneered. “Unless you prove yourself over countless ages, establish trust with Heaven, and remain steadfast, perhaps you’ll win its favor. Otherwise, who would believe you?”

“I follow the immortal way, but when the ancestor who pioneered it claimed unity with Heaven, didn’t he still run away in the end? He left a mess behind, causing immense loss to the grand world. Now Heaven’s eyes are sharp, trusting no one, watching everyone day and night, eager to strike them all dead with thunder.”

Ye Chen was helpless. “Isn’t this like being bitten by a snake and fearing rope for ten years? Any hint of something new, thunder strikes it dead. It’s too much—where’s the future in that?”

Yet now, discussing these things was pointless. He watched as lightning continued to rain down, night turning to day, brilliant light flashing across the heavens, as if Heaven had become addicted to striking.

“Will the thunder never stop? If so, are you going to perish just like that?”

Ning Peach Blossom’s strength was formidable, but far from restored to her peak. In her weakened state, could she withstand the lightning?

Ye Chen wasn’t worried for her life—he was afraid. If she died, who would take the blame for him?

He knew himself well; if that thunder struck him, not even ashes would remain.

“That depends on you.”

Ning Peach Blossom wouldn’t die right away, but her days had become miserable.

“You must learn to restrain your aura. Even if I take the blame this time, I can’t do it every time, can I?”

At this, a sudden unease rose in her heart, almost a premonition. Was she destined to keep shouldering blame endlessly? The thought chilled her to the bone.

Ye Chen realized for the first time that her presence in the virtual realm had its advantages. If he could make Ning Peach Blossom his tool, a partner to shield him from thunder, his days would be sweet, and he wouldn’t have to worry about Heaven’s wrath for now.

She naturally noticed Ye Chen’s indifference, and it infuriated her.

“The weaker you are, the easier it is to conceal your aura, since you’re insignificant. You’ve just broken through, your aura leaking, and opened your own path—of course Heaven noticed. Once you stabilize your realm, this crisis will soon pass.”

Ordinary cultivation methods never attracted such attention. Heaven wasn’t so idle; most of its focus was on big fish. Ye Chen’s scope was still too small. But the divine way was special. Now, a noble aura flowed through him, as if he’d become the ruler of several miles, nurturing all things, nearly omnipotent.